Swift County is backing the purchase of land for the Appleton Off-Highway Vehicle Park (OHV) with a $50,000 commitment. The action was approved by the board of commissioners at its meeting, Tuesday, May 15.

While the county has approved the funding, the motion was simply to indicate an “intent to buy” the additional land on the part county at this time.

Appleton’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) has committed $20,000 toward facilitating the purchase of the land and the Appleton Project $30,000. However, their commitment was dependent on Swift County reimbursing the Appleton Project and the EDA at a future date.

The Appleton Project is looking at purchasing the land from the owner with the assistance of the Appleton EDA, Commissioner Gary Hendrickx, District 1-Appleton, said. If the OHV Park gets all its grants approved, it will then buy the property with those funds, he said. As the county waits for the grant funds, the negotiations for the land are taking place....

RDA appointments

Heidi Gandsey, a resident of Commission District 2, and Tom Walsh, a resident of Commission District 4, were appointed to the Swift County Rural Development Authority (RDDA) effective immediately. Gandsey is from north Benson and Walsh from the rural DeGraff-Murdock area.

Swift County RDA is a nine-member board made of Swift County residents interested in economic and community development. They are chosen from the five county commission districts of the county. No more than three members can be from any one district, and terms are staggered....

Hiring probation officers for 6W

The board of 6W Community Corrections had a long discussion on staffing of probation officers, Commissioner Hendrickx, who serves as a liaison on the board, reported.
6W provides probation and parole supervision services for Swift, Chippewa, Yellow Medicine and Lac qui Parle counties.

There is a growing competition for probation officers from other probation services in the region and state, he said.

Most of them are the with a state contract with a state wage scale, he said, which is higher than what 6W is currently paying – significantly higher. The last person interviewed did not take the job offer because of the pay, Hendrickx told fellow commissioners....

For more on this story, and to keep up on all the latest news, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!